Wind

[davidsteverson]

Greetings everyone. We are currently parked in Brownsville TX for a few months for the winter. We love it here and our coach seems to be doing fine. I have a question though that I'm sure you all can help with.

Don't know if any of you have been to Brownsville but the wind does tend to blow ?  Most days it's not a problem but today it is really whipping. I'd guess we may be having 45-50 mph gusts. The coach is rocking but I feel confident will withstand the gusts.

What I'm concerned about are the slide outs and more specifically the awnings over the slides. They seem to be popping like crazy. Should I bring the slides in?  Would that help anything?  What am I risking by leaving them out?  

We are going to Oklahoma next week in our car. Since the motorhome will just be sitting here should I bring the slides in while we are gone?

Wow!  Just had a gust that felt like it was gonna tip the coach!  

Thanks for your input. David

[desertdeals69]

Some bring the slide in when its windy whether they are there or not.

[michaelhillhouse]

From experience I suggest Always bring the slides in when you are gone . It only takes a min to bring in or out and then you don't have to worry about the awnings and same for the outside awnings . A lot cheaper than having to replace to bring in

Michael

[wildebill308]

There is always a risk when the wind is blowing hard. You may feel more comfortable with bringing the slides in during thee worst of the wind. I would definitely bring them in when you leave the coach for an extended time.

Bill

[obedb]

David/ what year is your coach? Sometimes the older ones seem to have a lot of slack in the slide protector awnings. Ours is a 2003 which makes it old, but everything functions properly on the covers. They are tight. Had one replaced because it was delaminating, but local rv repair shop made a new one for us and adjusted it properly. Have been in some thunderstorm situations  with no problems.

 

 

[wayne77590]

Corpus Christi is the same way.  If the wind is 45 mph or higher or gust much higher I bring in the slide that the topper is popping.  There is a possibility of tearing of the seam at the edges if left popping.  Awning tape will take care of a tear but it is a pain in the ..... uh huh.

So, another thing I did was to get a 4 to 5 inch wide strap at the local hardware store that was long enough to go across the 12 foot topper and a few more feet on each side.  I folded the ends of the strip and put a 1/2 inch grommet in the triangle peak of the fold. I purchased rope that could be cut for the length from the end of the strap to the ground at about 45 degree angle.  I purchased spring loaded ground stakes.  Throw the strap across the center of the topper. bring the end of the rope down to the spring loaded ground stake and secure with a slight pressure of tightness.  This will keep the topper from popping and keeping you up all night.  Left the slide out in high winds.  Worked for me. 

It is absolutely necessary to use a wide strap.  Think about this. Take an envelope, place a thread on the inside of the flap. Close and seal the flap. With pressure on the envelope and one end of the thread anchored (wide hand spread) pull the other end of the thread against the line of the closed flap. It will cut through it like warm butter.  Using anything other than a wide 4" or more strap on the topper could do the same.

Happy trails.

 

[tbutler]

David,

I'll bet you were awake last night!  Wintry north winds hit us at 3:00 a.m.  We're in our mobile home and the wind woke us up.  Had a small trim piece on one of the bedroom windows come loose and had to take it down so we could sleep.  We haven't slept in the coach here in the RGV since we put our mobile home in. 

Wind is a constant companion here in the RGV.  The norm where we are, about 80 miles inland is 10-15 with breezy days being winds to 25.  I played tennis yesterday in those nice warm southerly breezes.  My flying experience gives me an edge as I am used to thinking about the wind direction and speed constantly while flying.  When you think about it, there are many sports that are affected by the wind.  The only sport that I play that isn't affected by the wind is bowling! 

Our coach had slide toppers that were flappers when we first got it.  I replaced them due to wear and tear several years ago and tightened the spring by giving the spindle an extra turn when the toppers were off.  That took care of the problem without having to deal with things like ropes and straps.  Using straps might work for someone who doesn't move frequently and parking for the winter falls in that category but if you remove the toppers and give the spindle a turn to tighten it, the replace the toppers, you have a solution that works every time you extend the slides with no additional thought or effort.  This also worked to help the rain to drain properly off the slide cover instead of pooling and then dumping periodically.  There is one caveat for my solution.  An additional turn makes it a little harder to extend the slide.  On our coach that was insignificant but on some coaches it could be a concern.

Anytime we leave our coach for a day or longer, we will bring in the slides.  We don't do this for trips out and back in a day, just when we are going to be leaving the coach overnight.  It reduces the load on the heating or cooling system and it makes the coach a little smaller, less likely to be hit by flying debris or falling tree limbs or as I observed one time a lawn mower with a roll-over bar that hit the underside of an extended slide out.  I would not bring in the slides for day trips, the wear and tear on the slide moving mechanism might be much more costly in the long run than replacing the slide toppers.

[wayne77590]

Now Tom,

I have bowled on some teams and if I remember correctly there was a lot of hot air blowing around,

[tbutler]

Wayne,

You are correct, plenty of hot air but hot air rises to places where the bowling ball doesn't (or shouldn't) go!